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New Music Favorites: Get to Know MUNA

Hometown: Los Angeles Latest Music Release: “I Know A Place” off their debut album “About U” coming Feb. 3 (Download the track here)*See Them Live: Their first headline tour kicks off Feb. 1 If You Like: Lorde, Halsey, Tove LoFYI: MUNA killed it at Lollapalooza earlier this year

L.A.’s freshest queer pop group MUNA is all about breaking the mold. From their stylish and defiant pop sound to their futuristic fashion, MUNA is cut from a different cloth, and we can’t get enough. The group incorporates a unique blend of shoegazing guitars, glitch percussion, and pulsating basslines on their way to crafting radio-ready hooks. But for all their polished craft and atmospheric effect, it’s their emotional messages that truly resonate with fans. Even after passing through several layers of vocoder processing, Katie Gavin’s birdsong melodies and gut wrenching sentiments ring clear as a bell on standouts like “I Know A Place,” “Loudspeaker,” “Winterbreak,” and “Promise.”

With such a complex and multifaceted sound, it might surprise listeners to learn how organically the group came together. It’s started with Gavin (vocals/production) inviting Naomi McPherson (guitar/synths/vocals) to start a band after they met in an African Diaspora seminar at USC. Gavin, a music major, later met Josette Maskin (lead guitar/vocals) on campus as well, and brought the three together. They immediately became inseparable, forming MUNA and turning LA’s underground pop scene on its head with their subversive darkness and undeniable earworms.

The trio made their debut in 2016 with The Loudspeaker EP, which grappled with weighty subjects like anger, humility, toxic relationships, and abuse. While pop bands typically shy away from such heavy themes, MUNA embraces them as a potent juxtaposition to their catchy hooks. The result is a new genre that’s all their own, which they like to call “Dark Pop.” With empowering messages and a strikingly fresh sound, MUNA is poised to break out in 2017, especially once their debut LP About U drops on February 3rd. Before these three fearsome femmes take over the world, fans can catch them on their first US headline tour starting February 1st at Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles (full tour dates below).

Check out our exclusive behind-the-scenes video below to learn more about MUNA.